Tuesday, October 17, 2017

If your children are among the more than 40% of Americans who get cold
sores, they’ll be the first to tell you that having one is far from a
pleasant experience. So, when your kids start to notice that familiar
tingling sensation that signals an outbreak, what can you do to help?
What actually works?

Well, quite honestly what "works" when it comes to cold sores, is
management. Specifically: preventing, treating, and eliminating the
transmission of this most annoying of viruses. Here’s how to do it:

Cold Sore Prevention

The old adage "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure," is
certainly true when it comes to cold sores, so knowing what causes them
to surface is key. The number one and number two reasons are a weakened
immune system and exposure to rapidly changing weather. To tackle the
weather, encourage your children to have lip moisturizer with sunscreen
on hand to protect their lips from the sun, wind, and cold. To boost the
immune system, be sure your children are getting enough sleep, and
share with them any sage advice you may possess regarding dealing with
stress.

Also, as with most things in life, what's good for the waistline is good
for our immune system. Here are a few dietary suggestions that can help
boost the immune system, and keep cold sores from cropping up:

Eat Raw, Alkalizing Foods: Fruits and vegetables are super-good for us. Have your kids consume as many of them as they enjoy.

Top-up On Cruciferous Vegetables: Clinical studies
are beginning to suggest that veggies like broccoli, cauliflower,
cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and kale are of great benefit to cold-sore
sufferers.

Avoid Arginine: Cold sores need the amino acid
arginine to grow, so if you can limit the excess intake of this amino
acid, it may be possible to keep frequent outbreaks at bay. Nuts, chocolate, oats, and some protein shakes are high in arginine, and can be major cold sore triggers.

By merely eating well and getting regular rest, it is possible to avoid several outbreaks a year.

Cold Sore Treatment and Remedies

Preventing a cold sore from appearing is indeed the best medicine. When a
cold sore does make an appearance, though, here are a few things you
can suggest your children do to minimize its pain, size, and duration.

Ice It! At the first sign of tingling, grab an ice
cube, wrap it in a paper towel, and have your child place it on their
lip where they feel the cold sore coming on. Often two back-to-back
applications of an ice cube until it melts can dramatically reduce the
pain and swelling that accompanies the sore.

Slather It? Not Now, But Later. Cold sores love warm,
moist environments, and this is precisely the environment presented to a
cold sore when it is slathered in cream for days on end. Experiment
with this, but it’s often best to let it dry out to the point where it
is no longer painful, and then begin applying cream or lip balm
to minimize splitting. As the cold sore resolves itself, it's best to
keep lips moist to prevent bleeding, which also aids in the healing at
this stage.

Eliminate Transmission of Cold Sores

Be sure to let your kids know they should avoid sharing food, utensils,
towels, toothbrushes, or any other item that could come in contact with
their mouth. Doing so will help avoid spreading the virus to others.
Kissing and other aspects of intimacy that involve the mouth should be
avoided entirely. Also, be sure they know to avoid touching the cold
sore and then later touching their eyes or genital area. In fact, the
best course of action is to suggest they avoid touching their mouth at
all during an outbreak, and not again until after the scab has dropped
off completely, AND healed over. This can take some weeks. As always,
thorough hand-washing habits are a must as well.

Having a cold sore is not the end of the world, and your kids will get
used to having them. Nine out of ten people get at least one cold sore
in their life, so there is no need to hide in the closet. Help your
children to understand triggers, find solutions that work, and keep
others healthy by avoiding spreading the virus. Stay healthy!